In one conventional network arrangement, before beginning a communication session, a first host and a second host negotiate the parameters of that session. Each of the hosts establishes respective local buffers (i.e., respectively local to each of the respective hosts) to store packets involved in the session. Typically, the respective sizes of the respective local buffers are established, independent of the actual parameters of the session, so as to conform to the maximum buffering requirements (i.e., in order to prevent buffer overflow) that may be expected to prevail in a worse case communication scenario during the session. This may result in more buffer memory being allocated and powered on for packet storage than is actually used to store the packets. This may make buffer memory usage and/or allocation less efficient, and also may increase energy consumption.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly.